Feral
by Midnat
Summary: The Sheriff of Dallas has many duties, one of them being handling the feral vampire running loose in his territory. But wild baby vampires can be hard to catch, and he could come to wish that he had never made the attempt. AU. Godric/OC. Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

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xXx

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**1**

Godric had spent the past few hours filling out paperwork as it was one of the (many) duties of the Sheriff of area 9, Texas. The territory was geographically not particularly big, covering all of Dallas and outskirts, but the vampire population was surprisingly dense for such a southern location. The close quarters to the many humans required both a firm, governing hand to avoid a number of threats to the Mainstreaming movement – such as drained bodies popping up all over the place – and a close working relationship with the human law enforcement authorities.

Precious few humans knew of this position, but Mark Jenkins - the head of Dallas' police force - was one of the chosen ones. He had more than once wished that he was as oblivious to the large, semi-structured vampire community as most of the people happily walking the streets at night seemed to be, but as it turned out, his direct contact to their Sheriff had made solving unexplainable cases a little easier, and over the years he had learnt to trust the youthful-looking man in charge of the fanged part of Dallas' population with delicate matters. If Godric said he'd solve a problem, it got solved, and often rather swiftly.

So it was with some relief that he had faxed over the details of attacks made around one of the bigger parks in Dallas over the past month. People seemed to just disappear when they walked around the area after sundown, only to turn up in bits and pieces down-river.

It wasn't that the Dallas police couldn't draw their own conclusions, but Mark wasn't particularly into having his men take on a clearly feral night creature and without a doubt losing several lives in the process, when the local vampire Sheriff was perfectly capable of taking care of the situation with a lot less bloodshed.

Godric had cast a quick glance at the paperwork labelled 'urgent', including several gruesome pictures of body parts found and linked to the crimes, and had concluded that a feral vampire had moved it into his territory. He'd sent his very capable second and third in command out to catch the wretch while he stayed back to take care of the mountain of paperwork he unfortunately couldn't task anyone else with, content in the knowledge that they'd bring back the perpetrator for him to sentence.

So it was a surprise when Isabel and Stan returned, empty handed and caked in mud, an hour before dawn.

"What happened?" he inquired calmly, face schooled into the expressionless mask he wore like a second skin these days, pale fingertips carefully balanced against each other on top of his large, polished desk. He was not happy; he was not accustomed to having his underlings fail him – partly because he made sure to surround himself with competent people, partly because he never misjudged the tasks he set them to.

"Little bitch gave us the run-around," Stan grumbled angrily, kicking mud off his cowboy boots so it landed on the parquet floorboards with a splatter that was all too noticeable to vampire hearing. Godric ignored it; he didn't have it in him to be upset about dirty floors.

Isabel, on the other hand, glared at her nest-mate before turning her attention to Godric. "We believe it is a very young female, but she is unusually fast. We couldn't get close enough to silver her." She had the decency to look ashamed at having failed the rather simple task.

"And we couldn't get a clear shot in when we brought out the crossbows," the big male added. "We spent the entire night chasing after her until she managed to just disappear into thin air. She's like some damn witch!"

Godric's blue eyes flickered between the two vampires in his area he trusted most. "So, let me get this straight: A baby vampire managed to escape the both of you – all night? A baby vampire that has been terrorising the human population in my territory and is a menace to the Mainstream movement – in _my_ area?"

His soft voice made them both shiver. Godric didn't often get angry, but his disappointment was a rather terrifying thing in itself

"We're sorry, Sheriff," Isabel whispered, head bowed. "We'll try again tomorrow night."

The sheriff's full lips pinched together in a disapproving frown. "We do not have time for you to fail another night; more dead humans will not make this easier to cover up. I will handle this myself."

* * *

Godric was 2000 years old. He had no need for silver or crossbows to capture a single baby vampire, his strength being among one of the absolute largest forces of nature in the Americas. There was not the creature – human or not – that could outrun _him_, and his centuries spent tracking through Europe's large forests had made him an extremely skilled hunter on top of that.

He spent a little time in the park the rogue vampire seemed to have made her hunting grounds picking up her scent and her tracks.

It was definitely a young female – he could still sense the remains of humanity in her blood, and her scent had that small pull on his animalistic nature all vampires recognised in the other gender - and she seemed to be barefoot he noted as he crouched down over a feather light footprint a human wouldn't have been able to spot, which was left from her flight from his underlings the night before. A feral baby vampire for sure.

An uninvited image of himself as newly made popped into his mind, and he briefly wondered where her maker was. No sane vampire would leave a new-born to his or her own devices – not only was it a menace to the human population, but young ones hardly ever made it past their first year even with the guidance of an experienced mentor, and losing your Child was said to be one of the most painful experiences a vampire could go through.

As he ran the perimeter of the park, criss-crossing through it in set patterns he managed to pick up a fresh scent, and stopped abruptly; she was circling him like a cautious predator. _She_ was hunting _him._

He managed to hide a surprised grin as he settled himself on a park bench, hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees in a casually relaxed position to lure her in. If he was completely honest with himself he would have to admit that getting out and hunting had given him more of a thrill than it should have; he really had spent too much time behind his desk in the past few years.

The fact that this young one thought she could in any way overpower him was amusing; if she'd had any sort of sense she would have trusted her instincts that must have been telling her that he was much more powerful than her and run off.

He could hear her balancing in the tree that let its branches shadow over the bench he was sat on and felt his muscles tense in anticipation of an incoming fight. But she just seemed to sit there, high above him, staring holes in his back.

"You know I can sense you, right?" he finally called, when the silence had stretched for a good half an hour.

She didn't reply immediately, and he mentally shook his head at her if she thought she could convince him that she wasn't there simply by being silent.

But finally, he heard the leaves on the branch she was settled on rustle slightly as she shifted her weight, leaning a little closer. "You are like me, aren't you?" a scared whisper sounded from above his head.

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xXx

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**A/N:** I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while and just had to scribble it down to see how it turned out. Hopefully, it seems interesting enough to continue!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

**A/N:**

_Thanks a bunch for the feedback! I really like this idea so I'm well pleased that you guys were arsed enough to write a few words of encouragement. :-)_

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xXx

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**2**

"I am a vampire, yes," he replied, leaning back on the bench, stretching an arm out along the backrest so he still appeared relaxed and unthreatening. The smell of her fear wafted down from the branch over his head, giving him a clear indicator that gentleness was the best approach with this one. "The vampire Sheriff of area 9, to be more exact. You are on my territory."

"The vampire what?" She sounded rather confused. "Are you like… the law enforcement?" Her sudden gasp disturbed the air over him as she pulled back towards the trunk. "Did you send those two that hunted me yesterday?"

"I did. You have made quite the ruckus with all the humans you have killed, and I can't have that in my area." Godric kept his relaxed pose, but he got ready to chase her down if she decided to take off.

She breathed in noisily and unnecessarily at his words but stayed in the tree. "Please, I… I didn't mean to! I am just so hungry all the time, and… I tried to stop, I swear, but I can't! Please, can you help me?"

Oh, young ones and their lack of control. He sure didn't miss that from when Eric and Nora had been new-borns, especially not Eric's constant need to fuck after feeding. His lovely Son still had that urge, but he managed it with quite a bit more grace these days.

"Why don't you come down and we will talk a little?" he coaxed the female, smiling a little to himself at how similar his voice was to someone trying to get a feral kitten down from a tree.

She hesitated, clearly preferring the illusion of safety the small distance between them gave her. "Do you… do you promise not to hurt me?" she finally whispered.

Godric didn't like making promises he couldn't keep.

"I promise not to hurt you if I don't have to," he answered smoothly.

The leaves rustled as she set off, and a small _thud_ sounded right in front of him as she gracefully landed on the ground about a yard away.

The ancient vampire was happy he had the iron self-control that had made him more or less legendary in the vampire world, as not many of their kind would have been able to keep the relaxed pose when another predator suddenly arrived so close to them, and he was fairly sure the little thing that was currently staring at him with all kinds of mistrust would have taken off if he'd jumped into a defensive crouch.

He took in her form and felt another pang from his memories as a younger vampire; she was dirty and wild-looking, her hair – which he thought might be some form of blonde underneath the dirt – flowing around her slight shoulders in tangles along with the big, violet eyes filled with fear marking her as completely untamed; feral. Of course, the dirty, ripped clothes barely covering her fragile-looking body and the dried blood around her full lips didn't exactly help the image either.

She was in bad shape. How on earth she'd managed to out-run his underlings was beyond him.

"Where is your maker?" he asked, wondering how anyone could let their Child get to such a state. Even his own maker, as heartless and cruel as he'd been, had ensured his survival by keeping him fed and teaching him hunting skills that wouldn't bring down the humans' suspicion.

"Who?" Her fine brows furrowed, forming a delicate wrinkle between them.

"The vampire who turned you," he explained. Whoever it was had clearly dropped the ball if they hadn't even explained the most essential of concepts to her.

Her eyes went – if possible – even wider and her gaze darted around quickly as she took a quick step backwards. "G-gone, she whispered, visibly shuddering. "He left."

Godric's forehead furrowed at that. "How old are you?"

She blinked. "T-twenty one."

Her face, if she had been a human, looked like she was younger than that, but that was not what he had wanted to know. "No, young one, how long have you been a vampire?"

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "I… think, maybe… a month?"

Well, this wasn't going to work. No vampire was ready to be on their own this early on, and this one even less so than most, if she couldn't even feed without killing. He would have to work out her punishment when they returned to the nest, but mostly he wanted to get his hands on whatever vampire had thought it a good idea to turn a girl in _his_ district, and then leave her to her own devices. It wasn't really her fault that she'd killed those humans, but her maker sure should have known better.

Godric was renowned for his care for humans, and setting a feral baby vampire free in his district was quite the provocation.

"Alright. We will get you back to the nest and…" He'd gotten to his feet while he spoke, but the girl interrupted him with a hiss – she actually _hissed _at him– and jumped back several paces.

The act was so ridicules that he snorted involuntarily. It had been a very, _very _long time since anyone had thought it a bright idea to make any sort of threatening noises in his general direction, and she mostly sounded like a little kitten trying to prove itself dangerous.

'_Just a baby'_ he reminded himself, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at her. "Calm down and get back here, I'm not going to hurt you."

She stopped several yards away, looking at him with a mix of anger and panic, her upper lip curling up in a sneer, showing her fangs. "I am not going anywhere with you!"

"Then how do you suggest I help you?" he reasoned, taking a cautious step towards her that she instantly followed with three backwards.

Oh, this was so going to end up in a round of chase the wildling. He sighed inwardly, fully realising that she wouldn't take kindly to being hunted down and dragged back against her will. But the lives of the humans in the area were more important than the feelings of this feral little thing, however pitiful she was.

"Just… tell me how I can avoid killing people," she begged. "I promise I won't hurt anyone again then."

This time his sigh was a full exhale. Reminders of sitting with first Eric and then Nora, keeping a cautious eye on them as they practised stopping when the human's heartbeat slowed sprung to the forefront of his mind. It had taken a very long time before they had enough control to always stop in time without his intervention. "I can't tell you how to do that, I have to show you. Besides, if you feed off the unwilling you will still harm them, even if you stop before they die."

"How do I know you won't kill me if I go with you?" she challenged, which was a fair point, he had to admit.

"I have no reason to kill you." He cocked his head as he gaged how long it would take for her to bolt – her eyes showed no sign of taking in his soothing tone, and he knew she was too far into her fight or flight instincts to listen to reason.

As it turned out, the sound of his phone going off was what snapped the strained tension in the air between them, sending the girl sprinting off away from him.

Godric cussed under his breath over the poor timing of whoever the caller was and set after her.

She really was surprisingly fast for someone so young, but she was no match for him and he quickly gained on her as they _wooshed_ through the park, but just as he was about to reach out and grab her arm she cast a glance over her shoulder, spotted him and shrieked shrilly, only to disappear several yards in front of him with a soft _pop_, staggering a little before she started sprinting again.

The dark-haired vampire stopped, surprise clear on his youthful features. So that explained how she had managed to make Stan and Isabel run around after her for hours. He wasn't about to spend his night in the same way.

Quickly calculating his options he ruled out taking flight and catching her that way. He might be able to catch her unaware from the air, but what was to stop her from teleporting again when he'd caught her? Nothing, most likely.

It seemed like he just had to go about this in the slow way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

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xXx

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**3**

Godric purposely ignored his underlings' raised eyebrows when he returned to the nest without the baby vampire he'd said he'd be bringing back. He was acutely aware that this was not a highlight in his many years of flawless leadership, but he was not in the mood to let them know that yes, he'd vastly underestimated the difficulty level of the task he'd set them.

And it wasn't like he'd _failed_ at bringing her back… he'd just been a little optimistic in regards to the timeframe.

"So… where is she?"

Stan appeared to not know when it was time to shut up.

Godric gave him a warning look before he closed the door to his office behind him with a sharp snap.

The small chuckle that drifted through the door made him grimace; he knew better than to let useless emotions such as injured pride get the better of him. It was just so blasted _long_ since he'd had to practice dominating that particular feeling.

* * *

What was the best way to lure a wild – and hungry – animal to you? Food, of course.

Godric grabbed a 4-pack of TruBlood from the fridge and – once again – ignored the questioning looks from his nest-mates as he headed towards the door, but this time it was his second in command who let curiosity get the better of her.

"Are you planning a picnic, Sheriff?" she asked innocently in her lovely, Hispanic accent.

"Few bite the hand that feeds them," he replied sagely, refusing to let their gentle teasing get to him again. He nevertheless left the nest before any of them could come up with anymore witty questions.

He picked up her fresh scent more easily this time, but instead of tracking her down he simply sat down on a bench close to a line of trees and waited until he could sense her skulking closer, drawn in by curiosity and probably desperation. When she settled down in a tree about thirty yards away he took out one of the bottles of TruBlood and carefully unscrewed the lid. The synthetic blood didn't have nearly the same appealing aroma as human blood, but if she was as hungry as he estimated she would still find it hard to stay away when the scent hit her nostrils.

A small intake of breath let him know that he'd estimated correctly.

"Come eat, little kitten," he said quietly, knowing she would be able to hear him perfectly.

She didn't move a muscle.

"I know you are hungry, and I can't let you hurt anymore humans in my area. This is TruBlood – I take it you have heard of it?"

No answer, but she moved a little in her tree, leaning forward to take in the bottles better.

Just then, his ears picked up the sound of laughing humans and her head snapped in the direction of the noise, nostrils twitching.

Oh, sometimes people made it _very_ hard to protect them.

"Don't even think about it," he hissed quietly, registering that the humans were coming in their direction. "If you attack them I _will_ stop you, with any means necessary."

She glanced down towards him, whimpering in frustration as her fear of him battled with her hunger.

"Hold your breath," he sighed, getting up from the bench. "I'll get rid of them."

It turned out to be a small group of five young humans, male and female, who smelled like arousal and beer. Godric managed to smother an eye roll as he stopped them on the path a few bends away from where the feral vampire was lurking in her tree. He'd forgotten how little sense most mortals possessed during the decades he'd stayed away from interacting with civilian humans, and waltzing into a deserted park – drunk – in the middle of the night was about as unwise as it could get.

"Oi there, fella!" one of them greeted him cheerily, as one of the females looked him over appreciatively before striking a coy pose. "Wanna come hang out with us?" she offered.

Godric really didn't understand how some vampires took so much pride in being on top of the food chain; it wasn't exactly like it took a great deal of effort.

"Leave, and don't ever come back to this park," he commanded, putting the power of his Glamouring behind the simple instruction. Their youthful thoughtlessness shouldn't cost them their lives.

Five pairs of eyes immediately glazed over.

"Yes," they muttered in unison before turning around and walking back the way they came.

He thought briefly about talking to Mark Jenkins about teaching the youth of the area a little about self-preservation as he watched them disappear behind a bend in the road, but then realised that the less humans considered vampires a threat to watch out for at night-time, the easier the Mainstreaming movement would fare, and unfortunately for them, continuing to walk around drunk in unpopulated areas after dark would make it easier for more skilled vampires than the little stray back in the tree to get a quiet snack and then Glamouring the humans to forget about it - leaving everyone happy.

Godric shook his head at that thought. He wished more vampires would view humans as more than walking, talking food with genitals, but it was still early days for mutually aware coexistence, and at this point he would consider it a success if feedings became less rapey and lethal. And thanks to his careful governance, his territory was one of the few densely populated areas where vampire-on-human violence was relatively low.

Of course, the feral vampire that hunted in this park didn't do great things for the statistics. He turned around and walked back at a human pace so she would have plenty of warning that he was getting closer, finding her on the ground next to where he'd left the 4-pack, carefully sniffing at the opened bottle.

She jolted upright when she heard him approach, muscles tensed for running.

"Go ahead." He stepped onto the recently-cut grass and sat down, arms wrapped around his knees while still several yards away. "I will stay here while you drink."

He received several more anxious glances before she finally snatched up the opened bottle and took a big gulp.

The gagging that almost instantly followed made a throaty laugh rumble from him.

"It is an acquired taste," he offered at the spitting female. "Try smaller mouthfuls, it will get better that way."

"This is not food!" she hissed, fangs angrily extended at him. "And it's cold!"

Hm, seemed the little thing had been spoiled by the flavour of human blood already. Not that he had expected much else; it generally took a great deal of self-restraint to opt for the synthetic LifeFlow when the natural source was available. Of course, it wasn't available to her anymore, which was the whole point.

"If you had come to my nest you could have had it warmed," he pointed out. "But I promise you, it is fully nutritionally satisfying – and you will not sink your fangs in another human as long as you remain in Dallas. I suggest you give it another try."

The curiously violet eyes shot him a full on glare at that, but her hunger made her take another – very careful – sip. She grimaced, but swallowed.

Godric remained seated while she – very slowly and with lots of disgusted facial expressions – finished the already open bottle, and then another one. Her delicate fingers toyed with the cap of the third one as she cast a questioning glance towards him. "Are you not hungry?"

Remembering Isabel's comment about planning a picnic made his lips twitch. "No, I am not, child. The blood is for you."

She eyed him for a long moment more, ensuring that he stayed where he was, before she quickly snatched up both remaining bottles and took off into the trees.

The ancient vampire sighed and leaned back in the grass. He couldn't go back yet – there was still too much of the night left for her to find a human in, and if she did he would have to be around to stop her.

"Stay in the park or I will have to chase you down again," he called into the night, letting his eyes find the stars while his other senses kept tabs on the baby vampire.

There was no reply, but he could tell that she not only stayed in the park but frequently circled back close enough to look at him from some hiding spot or other. When dawn was half an hour away she was up a tree again – she seemed to favour the trees – looking down on him while balancing the last, empty bottle of TruBlood on a finger.

"It is time to go to ground, kitten," he said, sitting up and looking up at her through the leaves, catching her violet eyes with his. "Morning is approaching."

She held his gaze for a few seconds before disappearing in a flurry of tangled hair.

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xXx

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**A/N:**

_Poor kitten, being forced to drink synthetic blood when there is so much of the natural variety floating around in the veins of oblivious humans._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

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xXx

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**4**

The nights in the park quickly became a routine. Godric would leave his nest with a pack of TruBlood when dusk settled in to go feed the feral baby vampire, and return home just as the sun was about to break over the horizon.

Soon, she was waiting for him. Never getting close, hardly ever speaking, but he felt her eyes on him the moment he entered the park, and she slinked from the shadows, when he placed the 4-pack of bottled blood at a safe distance from where he himself would sit down, to drink her fill.

Sometimes she would stay around and watch him silently, other times she would run off, but she never left the park or his supervision.

It took weeks before there was any change.

His nest-mates had stopped commenting on the amount of time he put into one wild young one after the first week when he – in a more curt tone than what was normal for him - pointed out that the paperwork he had to do as the Sheriff could be done anywhere, and he happened to like doing it outdoors these days. They took the hint.

* * *

The breakthrough was unexpected.

He was in the middle of reading through the latest report from the Authority concerning vampire procreation statistics one night, when the unmistakable scent of an unfamiliar vampire hit his nostrils.

His head shot up as he let his senses scan the park. It was a male – a strong one – and he had a good idea of what he was doing there, even though there were no humans out and about.

Humans weren't always the only ones getting hunted by vampires, though this sort of prowling wasn't for food.

"Kitten, come here," he called to the baby vampire that was currently roaming round the treetops next to the bench he was sat on.

She paused, looking down at him with a quirked eyebrow as if to suggest he'd gone mad.

"Smell the air." He got up, carefully placing his paperwork down on the bench and looking in the direction the other male was approaching from. He had slowed down, probably picking up on Godric's scent. "We are not alone."

She sniffed at the wind, eyebrows drawing in in concentration before her big eyes became even wider in alarm, muscles tensing to run.

"Don't do that – you will just trigger his hunting instincts." Godric's eyes narrowed as he spotted the stranger popping up over a hilltop, approaching at a leisurely run. He slowed to a walk about fifty yards from Godric, glancing up at the trees while nearing them with a relaxed smile. "Evening."

"Good evening." The dark-haired Sheriff tested the other male's power with a brush of his own, estimating him to be several centuries old – but not anywhere near his own age. "Who are you – and how long have you been in area 9?"

The newcomer lifted his eyebrows in a haughty gesture. "That's quite a bit of information you seek, stranger. Do you have anything to trade for it?" His gaze slid up to the trees again, where a scared hiss erupted from.

"I am the Sheriff of this area and you have not had the courtesy to inform me that you reside within my territory. I believe not silvering you for your insolence might be a worthy bargain for the information I asked for."

The other's attitude changed abruptly. "You are Godric?" he asked, somewhat insecurely.

Godric folded his arms over his chest. It was occasionally useful to have a widespread reputation. "I am."

"Forgive me sir, I've just arrived in Dallas last night and would have come to your nest later tonight. I am Jasper O'Regal." He'd visibly shrunk back.

"Then let me welcome you to my area, Jasper O'Regal, and inform you of the special rules we have in area 9. Under no circumstances is feeding off the unwilling tolerated." His eyes narrowed slightly. "And the same goes for mating."

Jasper nodded quickly. "Of course, Sheriff." He quickly glanced up at the feral girl again. "And, uh… I take it that she is yours?"

Godric had not lived for as long as he had without learning to take advantage of opportunities when they practically got handed to him on a platter. He cocked his head, looking back over his shoulder to the treeline. "Would you say that you are mine, kitten?" He carefully held the smirk out of his voice; there was no reason to gloat over his good fortune.

A small thud notified them of her arrival to the ground seconds before she slowly came out of the shadows, eying Jasper with hostility and stopping two feet behind Godric's back, just within the aura of power he let radiate out as a silent warning to the other male.

"She is my Daughter," Godric lied smoothly, refocusing on Jasper. "And I would be _very_ unhappy if she should go missing for any length of time."

Jasper went through the motions of feigning shock and horror at such an idea, and then quickly made his excuses and took off into the night, leaving them alone once again.

"What does that mean?" she asked softly from behind him.

Godric turned around slowly, happy to confirm that she was still only a few feet from him. "What does what mean?"

"Daughter." Her eyes scanned his face cautiously, but for once she didn't look like she was ready to bolt; she had clearly understood that he had protected her from the other vampire's intentions.

"It is what we call our female progenies," he explained. "And it means that I would have hunted him down and killed him if he had touched you, which made it somewhat less likely that he would consider trying just that." In fact, he would have had to be downright idiotic and/or suicidal, but there was no reason to boast.

"Oh." She seemed to consider that, head tilted. "Why?"

Yes, why indeed? He himself had used his strength and dominance to mate with younger vampires once or twice in his time, though it had been more of a rough courting rather than actual rape; it was not an uncommon occurrence in the vampire world. He glanced at her dirty face containing sensitive lips and those big, scared eyes.

She was too young and too vulnerable, was the simple answer.

"You would not have enjoyed his attentions," he said, face impassive.

A shudder went through her slim body, and she slid further away from him, towards he trees, but stayed out in the open, eyes following him with a mix of wariness and the first sprout of something resembling trust.

"You could be my Daughter," he heard himself say, to his own great surprise. "I could teach you about this life and keep you safe." What on Earth was he doing? He didn't _want _another progeny - after Eric he had decided that one Child was all he needed, but then the Viking had dragged home Nora and begged him to sire her too, for him. So he had. And he had regretted it, though he loved the girl dearly. In his old age he had started to resent what he was, and as a consequence he had come to resent fating his Children to the same life.

But this girl was already destined for the darkness, and she had no one to teach her or make sure she survived. Someone had to take responsibility for her if she was to make it through her first year – and it might as well be him, seeing as he was Sheriff of the area that had hosted her turning.

"It would be like I was your maker," he continued, silently conceding himself to yet another half a century of looking after a baby vampire with all that that entailed of dealing with poor impulse control and hours upon hours spent patiently explaining simple concepts that he himself now took for granted. "As if I turned you."

It was a little insulting to have his _very_ generous offer met with bared fangs and angry hissing, but the absolutely terrified look in her now saucer-round eyes before she disappeared in a blur made him take the obvious rejection a little less personally; Godric was starting to get the gist of who was responsible for this baby vampire turning feral – and it didn't bring back any pleasant memories.

Maybe that was why she'd turned up in _his_ area; so he could save her from being lost and alone in the darkness like he had been for so many years.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

* * *

xXx

* * *

**5**

Godric wasn't completely sure if his little stray would have calmed down the next night, but he decided to push her some in either case. He was a patient man, but he wasn't about to waste the golden opportunity the arrival of Jasper O'Regal had offered.

So when he sat down in the sweetly-scented grass in the park that evening he left the bottles of TruBlood right by his side before leaning back, arms resting behind his head, and listening out for the baby vampire.

She arrived swiftly enough, but he could sense her hesitating by the trunk of a tree several yards away when she spotted where he'd placed her evening meal.

Godric ignored her.

The girl took a couple of circles around him, drawing closer as she did, and he hid a wide smile when he heard her sniffing as if she was smelling the air for any hidden traps.

And then she was standing next to him, staring down at his face with uncertainty.

"Godric."

He met her gaze when she spoke his name.

"Yes, kitten?"

Her brows furrowed. "My name is Irin, not kitten."

"You sound like a kitten when you hiss," he said, not bothering to stop the teasing smile that spread over his lips. "But I am pleased to meet you, Irin."

She scowled at him for a moment, but then sighed and gracefully sank down a few feet from him, reaching for a bottle of TruBlood.

If he stretched out his left arm he would be able to brush over her thigh with his fingertips, she was that close. Godric was wise enough to not attempt such a thing.

"I don't know why that happens," she suddenly whispered, nervously glancing at him out the corner of her eyes. "The hissing. I get scared and… it just comes out."

Ah yes. He recalled Nora sitting up a treetop growling at a lone vampire they'd happen to cross paths with before he'd had time to explain that there was nothing to be concerned about. She'd been rather mortified at that experience.

"You are very young, and alone – the Beast is strong in you. It is your survival instincts drawing out your more primal sides," he explained.

Her lips pinched to a pout as she looked down at the bottle of blood in her hands. "How long before I… become normal?"

Something in his chest ached at the lost tone and he rolled over to his side so he could look at her. She tensed at his movement but stayed put.

"You won't ever be like you were. And the longer you stay out in the wild, the more of yourself you will lose."

A small growl escaped her throat. "This is not fair!"

He sighed lightly. "No."

And then brightly shining, violet eyes turned to him, anger plain in them. "Where were _you _the night I was turned? You come here to save these humans from me, but why didn't you save_ me?"_

That sore thing in his chest constricted uncomfortably. "I am trying now," he said in as gentle a tone as he could.

Blood tears started flowing from her eyes, and she wiped at them irritably, hissing when she saw the red colour on her palms and fingers.

"Irin…" He tried recalling how to give comfort to a distraught young one, remembering how both Eric and Nora had relaxed in his embrace when they went to ground for the day. He sat up and hesitantly reached out, only to be met with a growl and extended fangs as she swirled away from him.

"Do not show your fangs at me," he gently reprimanded, getting up into a crouch. There was no point in letting mood swings run rampant – that had cost an entire settlement their lives when he'd thought it a good idea to simply let a new-born Eric tire himself out in one of his first temper tantrums.

She snarled in response, edging away from him without taking her stiff gaze from his.

"Go away! Go away and leave me alone!" There was a hint of desperation in her high-pitched voice. "I don't want your help - you're too late!"

Godric sighed and straightened up. "I cannot leave a feral vampire with no self-control to run wild in my area; I will not simply go away. Go run off your anger if you must, but stay within the boundaries of the park. And stay away from humans or I _will_ catch you, with silver if need be."

The hurt in her eyes at his threat spiked as she spit out: "Then I will leave your area!" And off with the soft _pop_ of her teleportation she was.

Godric tensed for a moment, worried she would have gone far, but relaxed again as he heard her running full-speed through the grass further up ahead. He didn't remember Eric nor Nora being _quite_ this difficult to handle.

It was really rather simple, his feral vampire problem. He'd done his best to talk her into surrender – going way, w_ay _above and beyond his Sheriff duties with her – and at this point he was fully within his right – and obligation - to swiftly execute her as her savage behaviour was a threat to Mainstreaming and the vampire community in general, which was above all else in the eyes of the Authority. Despite his serene reputation, Godric was no stranger to killing in his role as a Sheriff when need be – and when it came to vampire society, the need for a swift execution was fairly frequent.

There was no reason for him to extend this girl's life any further; even if he would have trouble catching her, he c_ould _succeed – with silver – and if he wanted to, he could have a stake through her heart before she even realised he was in the park with her.

Godric's face was a still mask as he thought about taking her life. It would certainly make sense. And it would allow him to return to the duties he was currently neglecting, letting Isabel take care of them in her capacity as his Second. But however capable she was, she was not the Sheriff and her authority was limited, which meant that in the long run, his area was suffering for his choice to spend his nights in this park.

It wasn't really that hard to figure out why he was reluctant to do so, though it would be the logical step to take: He saw himself in her, how he had been after murdering his maker; lost, scared, alone… broken and dangerous. Some long-buried part of him was longing to save her, to somehow save himself.

He wondered if, in truth, the world wouldn't have been better off if someone had driven a stake through his unbeating heart when he was young and feral, before he killed, violated, tormented, mutilated and destroyed thousands upon thousands, and he knew deep in his soul that yes, it would have been for the best.

And it would have been more merciful to him too. He had too many brutalities on his newly-evolved conscience to ever hope for a peaceful ever after, and it would have saved him from the centuries he had been lost and alone in the wild; centuries he would never fully recover from.

Yes, his true death would have been the only right choice.

And hers would probably be the most merciful thing he could gift her.

But those big, scared eyes would haunt him until the end of his existence.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

**A/N:**

_Q&A session!  
1. How do you pronounce her name? _

_ Erin. But if you want to be American about it, I don't mind._

_2. Will we hear anything from kitten's POV?_

_ Yeah, at some point, but at the moment she's just sort of hissing._

_Any other questions, just ask away – I'll answer if I can without ruining the plot. Though ZizzyO, this is NOT a challenge! ;-)_

_Thanks a bunch for the support everyone! You make me all warm and fuzzy!_

* * *

_xXx_

* * *

**6**

Ancient eyes had been staring at the variety of silver chains in the big, wooden cabinet for about an hour without actually seeing them. He had never been this reluctant to carry out a sentence, deeming the greater good of all an easy moral to govern by, but he couldn't help but feel that what he would probably have to do to Irin was a great injustice. She hadn't asked to be made, hadn't asked to be abandoned.

But she couldn't stay wild. She _would_ end up killing again, and most likely in a very indiscreet way that would cause more tensions between the vampire and human communities; tensions that they couldn't afford.

When he had awoken late that same afternoon it had been to some disturbing reports from the Authority, reports that – if they turned out to have any truth to them – meant that he simply could not afford to spend any more time trying to gain her trust, however much she deserved it. If those reports were indeed correct he would have to draw all his power and time in to protect his entire area. And that meant that the little kitten was out of time.

It really wasn't fair, as she had growled the night before. It really, really wasn't. But he had had to make the unpleasant decision that if she didn't accompany him home this evening, he would have to end her. And what made it so unfair was the he knew she wasn't ready, that she still had too long to go before she would trust him enough.

Godric decided to leave the silver chains be. He wouldn't have to use them if he was quick with the stake, and there was no reason to make her last moments painful. He grabbed a stake from the cabinet and headed to the kitchen where he picked up a couple of bags of donor blood; she could at least enjoy the flavour of human blood one last time. He owed her that much.

Firmly ignoring a faint whisper from his conscience that claimed he owed her so much more he walked out the door and into the night.

* * *

It was later than usual when he arrived at the park, due to a telecom meeting with the king of Texas and the time it had taken him to stare down the weapons he occasionally (or, actually, rather frequently) had to use in his position as a Sheriff of area 9.

"Irin," he called softly into the quiet night, feeling a sudden pang of worry that she might have made good on her threat to leave the area while he had been delayed. If that was the case he was duty-bound to inform the other Sheriffs, and when this turned into a hunt her last moments would very surely _not_ be pain free.

There was no response, but when he took in the scent of the night the unmistakable smell of fresh human blood hit him like a hammer.

_No._

He was in the air before a second had passed, racing towards the source of the beckoning scent, praying to something he wasn't sure he believed in that he would be in time to save the human's life before the baby vampire tore their throat out or drained them completely.

But what he found was much, much worse than what he'd feared.

The bleeding human had a cloth of some sort pressed against a cut – a _cut_, not a bite – on her arm, her eyes trained on the spitting, snarling and whimpering female on the ground that was currently being drained by two large, human males. Silver chains criss-crossed over the exposed parts of her torso, legs, ankles, arms and neck, keeping the young vampire completely immobile and unable to resist the slow, painful process the draining of her blood was.

As the vampire Sheriff, Godric was very familiar with how drainers worked, and luring a hungry vampire in with the scent of fresh blood only to have them ambushed with silver was very standard.

He felt the Beast claw at his insides as Irin let out a wail of pain when they roughly jabbed another needle in her arm to speed up the process. The blood was sacred. And they were _hurting_ her.

It took all his legendary calm not to start pulling off body parts when he landed in their midst with a small _thud_.

The female was Glamoured into a daze before the other two even realised he was there, the first male seconds after. The last male managed to scramble to his feet before Godric had him in a _very_ firm grip around the neck, pulling his mind in with his will. The human slumped back, staring into the distance without sensing anything around him.

Godric quickly kneeled on the ground by the trapped girl, unthinkingly grabbing at the chain keeping her neck down. He let go with a hiss when the silver burnt him, searching the ground and picking up a stick to work underneath the metal links.

Irin howled as the silver pulled off strips of her skin as it came off, her fingers clenching and her chest heaving in unnecessary gasps.

"Shh, you're free soon," he promised as he made to work on the chain covering her torso.

A string of profanities and wild hissing was all he got in return. As soon as her arms were free she started clawing at the ground in a feeble attempt at escaping the pain. When the final bit of silver was off her body she shot up into a crouch, amethyst eyes wild with pain and fear – and rage.

Godric immediately clasped a firm hand around her shoulder and pulled her in to his body, halfway to stop her from lunging at the Glamoured humans, halfway to calm down her trembling form.

A high-pitched growl sounded against his chest, but to his surprise her dirty hands fisted in his coat instead of pushing at him.

"You're safe," he whispered into her ear. "I've got you now – you are safe."

Her growling quieted, pained panting taking over.

Godric reached out and fumbled to grasp the bags of donor blood he'd dropped on the ground when he landed, getting a hold of one and offering it to the feral girl that had the front of his clothes in a death-drip. "Drink – it will heal you."

She let go of his coat, grabbing the bag in both hands before striking at it like a viper. A pleasured groan followed as the thick, red liquid filled her mouth.

When she'd finished the second bag she slumped against him in relief, and he carefully manoeuvred his arms around her hamstrings and back so she sat in his loose grasp, leaned against his chest and resting on his knees. Her – now bloody – hands came back up to grab at his clothes, fingers twisting in the fabric.

"I thought you'd left," she mumbled, letting her violet eyes find his.

He pursed his lips, taking in the expression in her gaze. She was looking at him as if he was a newly-discovered – but possibly treacherous -cure for all evils in the world. His insides twisted when he thought of the stake he'd brought here tonight.

"I told you, I'm not leaving you," he said, gently pulling her a little closer. She didn't flinch, and he felt relief flood his system. "You will come home with me tonight."

To his great surprise her response was to bury her head underneath his chin, nuzzling in against his throat. A strange sense of warmth flowed through him from her gesture of surrender.

Godric got to his feet easily, turning to the Glamoured humans. But just as he opened his mouth to make his command, the baby vampire in his arms turned into a hissing, spitting ball of fury. He just managed to clutch onto her body to stop her from hurling herself at the nearest male, no doubt to claw out his eyes and drink from his mauled body.

"Kitten!" he scolded, pulling her further away from them. "Stop that! They are defenceless!"

A furious snarl and her nails digging painfully into his chest was the thanks he got for his efforts, and when she realised that he was not budging, she bit him in the arm through coat and shirt, piercing skin.

Growling, he struck, sinking fangs into the tender flesh of her neck without releasing his firm grab on her body. He hadn't thought about his actions – it was purely instinctual, but he didn't rip or drink; he didn't need to to establish his dominance. She whimpered and instantly went lax in his arms, fangs retracting from his flesh.

Godric kept his fangs in her for a few seconds longer before he lifted his head, giving the puncture wounds a quick, unnecessary lick – they'd be healed within seconds, but it was an old habit to soothe his bite with the coalescent in his spit. "Do not _ever_ bite me again." His quiet tone held enough authority to make her shudder.

"They tried to _kill_ me!" she protested, avoiding his gaze.

"And you have killed plenty of them. You are much stronger than them, and while they should be punished for what they have done, killing them will not make anything right."

Her lips pursed as she bit down on a frustrated growl – she clearly thought it would make something a lot better.

"Let me show you," he sighed, keeping her body firmly controlled in his grasp as he returned to the humans. She tensed to the point of going rigid but didn't fight him to attack this time. Godric considered it a victory.

"Look at me," he commanded, making the humans' necks snap is his direction. "You will go to the nearest police station where you will confess to every crime you have ever committed, denying your right to legal representation. And when you have served your sentences you will register as blood donors until you have given exactly as much blood each as you have ever drained from vampires."

The three, dazed humans nodded.

"Go."

They turned around and stumbled into the darkness.

"You see?" he asked the girl. "No more needless deaths, and the humans get to deal with their own criminals. They will pay for their crimes, and will give back the blood they have taken." Godric was quite pleased with this his first lesson for her. He was also thankful to the horrid humans, however much his instincts screamed at him to murder them in the most horrific ways possible, as their attack was what had saved him from having to kill the young one in his arms.

Irin looked up at him, a stubborn tilt to her jaw, but she submitted sullenly under his firm gaze. "Yes," she muttered.

He smiled at her obstinate tone. "Good girl. Now, let us get you home."

She linked her slim arms around his neck and tucked her head underneath his chin again. "Okay."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

**A/N:**

_You can pronounce her name in Russian too, or any other language, I don't discriminate! ;-)_

* * *

xXx

* * *

**7**

Irin sat quietly in his arms without removing her head from underneath his chin, breathing in his scent while he flew them home, and he wasn't sure she'd even noticed that they took to the air as her eyes had been closed every time he glanced down at her. She didn't look up when they landed, and her only response to the change in light and air around them when he entered his nest was to wrap her arms tighter around his neck and bury her head deeper in his coat.

"Irin," he called softly, easing her to her feet on the parquet flooring inside the warmly-lit hall. "We are home now."

She reluctantly lifted her head from his chest, and he noticed that she really was quite petite – the top of her head only just came up to his lips, and he was not a tall man by modern standards – before her violet eyes darted around the room, her nostrils vibrating as she took in the foreign smells.

Godric nimbly loosened her arms from the death grip she had around his neck, offering her a small, comforting smile as he reached out a hand to her instead. She quickly grabbed it, clutching tightly as he led her towards the large living area where Stan and Isabel were currently talking quietly with each other.

"Underlings, there is someone I would like you to meet," the Sheriff called to the two. "This is Irin, my…" He was interrupted by a sudden hiss and sighed inwardly as the baby vampire snatched her hand from his and crouched down, slowly backing away with her eyes fixed on his underlings, who had turned around when he addressed them.

"Irin," he began, finding his stern-but-fatherly voice for yet another time that evening. "That is very rude."

"Is that the little bitch from the park?!" Stan's voice broke through his attempt at verbally disciplining his new charge. "What the hell, Sheriff? Why are you bringing that wild thing back to the nest – unchained?"

Godric's head snapped in the direction of his most outspoken and difficult underling, eyes darkening at the very inappropriate timing of yet another test of his leadership, but Isabel immediately stepped in to defend her Sheriff.

"Stan, don't be such an idiot! She's just a scared girl. Come here, honey, no one will hurt you." She smiled warmly at the – now growling – young vampire and took a step towards her with a hand reached out.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

Irin, apparently, missed the soothing tone and relaxed pose of the other woman, and lashed out with a snarl, which caused Stan's very easily ignited fighting instincts to kick in. He launched himself at the vampire who had attacked his nest mate with a fierce roar, and suddenly Godric's nest was a swirling inferno of growling, hissing and snarling vampires zipping through the large living area, knocking over furniture in the process, with the frequent _pops_ of Irin's teleportation and Isabel's shouts for Stan to stop being an idiot breaking through the predatory noises.

Godric allowed himself a brief moment to rub the oddly throbbing spot between his eyebrows before stepping in and getting the situation under control.

"_Enough!"_

The _very_ rare sound of their Sheriff's shout made both Stan and Isabel freeze to the spot, Isabel with both hands on her nest mate's shoulders in an attempt at stopping him from chasing the feral girl Godric had had in his arms like an overgrown kitten only minutes prior. She was currently up one of the decorative curtains by the floor-to-ceiling windows, fangs bared and a high-pitched growl rolling off her while her big eyes were focussed on the large male trying to get to her.

Godric was not thrilled at the outcome of the first introduction of his new Child. "Stan, please leave the room. _Now."_

The vampire cowboy sighed, casting a last, annoyed glance at the dirty little thing clutching at the curtain before leaving the room, for once without arguing. He knew better than to push his Sheriff beyond his limits.

"Isabel…"

The Latina woman stepped back, nimbly balancing on one foot and then the other while removing her broken pair of heels. "I shall leave too, Sheriff," she offered calmly.

"No, please." He glanced up at Irin, who had stopped growling as Stan left the room, but she was still eying Isabel with mistrust. "If you would wait in the door." Not bothering to check that he was obeyed he easily scaled the tipped-over sofa, strode over the shattered floor lamp and stopped below the curtain currently occupied by his adopted Daughter.

"Irin, get down. Now, please."

She shot him a stubborn glare. "Not while _she_ is still here! She tried to shoot me!"

"She tried to catch you, after you had killed several humans, remember?" Godric folded his arms over his chest. "If you had come with her voluntarily she would not have tried to harm you in any way. Now, get down here. Right now."

Something in his tone made her let go of the fabric and land on the floor with a small _thud._

"It is _very_ rude to show fangs and hiss at other vampires, kitten," he scolded, gently so he didn't risk her spooking again.

Her eyes slid from Isabel to him, and her shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Don't tell me – tell Isabel. She was just trying to be nice." He looked at his underling, who – to his great annoyance – was watching him with a smirk on her discretely painted lips. He frowned at her, but she simply ignored him by changing her focus to the girl.

"I am sorry I scared you," Isabel offered first. "And for the way I chased you in the park. That wasn't very nice."

Irin looked thoroughly surprised at the apology given in a gentle tone, and Godric was happy to note that her tense stance relaxed the tiniest bit. "I am sorry too." It was hardly more than a whisper – but it was enough.

Godric offered her his hand again, and she gingerly placed hers in it, glancing up at him to gage his mood. Relief filled her face at his calm expression, and he felt her fingers constrict a little tighter around his.

He was very aware that for this little thing, he was now the absolute centre of the universe, as he had been for Eric and Nora – and to some degree still was – but that for her it was her desperate situation that caused this rather than the ancient connection in the shared blood between him and his progenies. And that difference meant that she did not have the steady reassurance of the bond between maker and Child that her universe was still intact and safe.

"Do you think you can control yourself if I ask Stan to return?" he asked her, keeping her gaze locked with his.

Her full lips pinched as she scooted nervously from side to side. She did not look best pleased at the idea, but finally caved under his eyes and nodded.

"Good girl," he encouraged, breaking the eye contact to find Isabel – who once again was watching him with a smirk. It was becoming a rather annoying habit of hers, it would seem. "Would you find Stan for us?" he asked, tone somewhat clipped.

"Of course, Sheriff," she said, smirk turning to a full smile at his displeased tone before she disappeared out the door for a brief moment.

A few seconds later she reappeared with the brawny vampire by her side.

"Now, if I could finish without being interrupted…" The three others in the room looked suitably ashamed at his pointed look that managed to catch all of them. "This is Irin, my new Child."

His underlings' reaction was expected: Complete shock.

"But…?" For once, Stan seemed speechless.

"My _adopted_ Child," Godric clarified. "She lost her maker and is too young to be on her own, so I am claiming her as mine. I would ask that you do not discuss her origin outside of this nest." It was something he had considered since first offering to act as her maker – the less people knew about the lacking blood connection, the less trouble it could cause them with people… _testing_ him. He had a strong dislike for being tested, and there was no need to have rumours of a Child of his he couldn't locate by sense floating about the territory; it would just be a temptation to anyone wishing to see how much of his feral reputation was well-earned.

"Well." Stan seemed to have regained his ability to speak. "There is taking home work, and then there's taking home work, Godric." His eyes slid over the destruction of the living area. "But I suppose congratulations are in order."

Godric accepted his offer with a nod, knowing the sarcastic comment was his rebellious underling's way of showing acceptance.

"Yes, congratulations," Isabel chimed in, dark eyes zoning in on the girl. Godric had seen the way she was sizing her up before when she had been decorating the nest, and knew the appearance of his feral Child was probably making his Second in command itch to fix her up. "How about I take your Daughter to get cleaned up?"

Irin's fingers constricted tightly around his hand, her face turning to him in fear of being separated from him.

"I will be right here," he promised, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "Go with Isabel – you will be safe with her, I promise."

"There's a Jacuzzi the size of a small pool," the black-haired woman coaxed, which made Godric suppress a snort. Irin did not exactly seem the type to care about bathing facilities.

But to his surprise the girl lit up, letting go of his hand and following the now widely-smiling Isabel out the room, giving him a quick glance over her shoulder before she disappeared out the door.

Godric silently admitted that he had never truly understood females. Then he turned to more important matters – the recent report from the Authority.

* * *

It was not long before dawn when Isabel pushed the door open to his office, allowing the young vampire to slip in past her.

She was wearing drawstring pants and a soft, short-sleeved cotton shirt that he recognised as his own for the times he wanted to blend in with humans without drawing attention, and she was thoroughly clean – he could smell a mixture of soaps and shampoos from Isabel's own, impressive collection on her, and her long, strawberry-blonde hair had been detangled, which could not have been an easy job.

"Thank you, Isabel."

She nodded once at his thanks, patted the girl on the shoulder – which caused her to tense, but no hissing erupted so Godric assumed they had bonded during the bathing experience –and disappeared.

"You look better," he said, taking in her appearance. She looked more like a normal, young woman now, rather than a feral animal. The lack of dried blood and dirt everywhere let her pretty features shine through, and though her petite body was pretty much hidden in his too-big clothes it was an awful lot better than the dirty, torn rags she'd worn before.  
But her eyes still had a wild, unsettled look to them as they darted around his office, taking everything in as if she was scanning for possible attackers.

Her violet gaze finally landed on him. "I feel better. Thank you. For… everything."

"It is my pleasure," he assured her, because he noted the shy look on her face. "You should go to sleep now, dawn is near. There are a couple of guest rooms with light-tight resting spaces; you can have one as your room."

Her face fell. "I have to sleep alone?" It was such a pathetic whimper that she seemed to notice herself, slim arms folding protectively around her own midsection as she looked down to the floor, avoiding his eyes.

The question startled him a little; he had spent several years resting with his progenies when they were young, so it would only be natural that he did the same with his adopted Child, but the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. Not only was it less than twelve hours since she had even accepted his touch - it was also centuries since he had last shared his daytime sleep with anyone, apart from the occasional, nostalgic moment with Eric.

"You can spend the day in my resting place, if you wish," he offered, feeling a little ashamed that she had had to ask as he got up from his desk to lead her to the sleeping quarters.

The redhead nodded mutely and grabbed on to his hand when he walked past her, silently following him out the door and down the hall.

He punched in the code to his private rooms, scanned his fingerprint and idly remembered that he would have to log her information in to the system as well the next night as she slipped in past him, taking in his room with big eyes.

It looked like a normal bedroom, with an en-suite bathroom and a walk-in closet, and even a big bed in the centre of it all, as well as a comfortable chair and a bookcase.

"You can sleep here?" she asked, confusion plain on her delicate features.

"I could – all the windows in the house have UV protection and the shutters are light-tight and would take a rather powerful grenade to get through. But my sleeping space is through here." He motioned towards the walk-in closet that hosted the cleverly hidden trapdoor to his pillow-lined cubby.

As most vampires, especially those who were old enough to have lived through centuries of hiding their existence from humans, Godric only really felt safe during the day when he was below ground levels.

But Irin wrinkled up her brows at the comfortable space. "But… do we not need… dirt?"

"We do not. Only when we heal from grave injury do we need to sleep in the actual ground," he explained, easing himself into the hole. "As long as no light can reach us we are fine to sleep through the day. Come." He reached up a hand, which was strictly unnecessary as the girl was perfectly capable of making the small leap herself, but she grabbed it nonetheless and jumped in, bare feet sinking into the soft material underneath her. Without further hesitation she plopped down and curled up, violet eyes staring up at him expectantly.

Godric closed the trap door, slid the bolt over it and sank down next to her. It was a bit of a squeeze, but the girl moved out of his way, only to wrap herself around him when he'd settled in, a content sigh escaping her lips as her head nuzzled up under his chin – it seemed to be a favourite position of hers.

The ancient man moved the tickling mass of her hair out of his face and closed his arms around her in a protective embrace, which only caused the baby vampire to cuddle closer before going dead in his arms as the sun broke the horizon.

His last conscious thought of the night was that he didn't recall Eric or Nora being quite this affectionate.

* * *

xXx

* * *

**A/N:**

_So this chapter took on a life of its own. Back to normal length next upload!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

**A/N:**

_So last chapter was ALL of the fluff. More will follow, and I'm not even sorry. _

_Q&As:_

_Will she meet Eric/Nora?_

_- Yes, but later on._

_So, her maker?_

_- We'll get to hear the whos and whys, don't worry._

_Stan's a bit thick, isn't he?_

_- Stan's… Stan. I see him as rather hot-headed and impulsive, and maybe not the sharpest crayon in the box, but fiercely loyal._

* * *

xXx

* * *

**8**

When Irin's conscience slipped back, signifying the sun had set, she was instantly aware that she was alone. Panic set in for a short second before the comforting smell of her saviour reached her nostrils; his scent was all around her and even in the soft clothes she was wearing. She hadn't imagined him - she wasn't all alone in the world anymore.

She quickly sat up, hands fumbling and tossing open the trapdoor so she could jump out and hunt for him – however much the room was saturated with his reassuring musk she needed to actually lay eyes on his face to be absolutely certain… Certain that her nightmare had truly ended.

The bedroom was empty of the older vampire, and so was the bathroom. She felt something in her stomach flutter uncomfortably as dark flashes of the horrible weeks where she had woken up alone, hungry and scared made her shudder. Quickly, she ripped open the bedroom door, darting into the hallway to let her sharpened senses search out… and heard his muted voice from the other end of the house.

Irin ran.

* * *

The tension was practically palpable even across the distance broached by the live feed as the Authority member in charge of the session pulled up a map showing the spread of the infection. It was an informal telecom meeting between some of the oldest vampires across the world and the Authority's representative in an attempt at brainstorming for ways of containing the very volatile situation that was quickly escalating out of control, and Godric's focus was fully on the vampire currently speaking (a seventeen hundred year old female from Russia) about some concerning episodes in Siberia when his office door suddenly banged open.

He was on his feet, instincts putting him into a defensive crouch that same second, but when he found his arms filled with a small, redheaded form he managed to control those same instincts from attacking the intruder.

Her fingers clutched desperately at his shirt as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, burying her head against his throat and inhaling deeply.

"Kitten?" he asked, concern etched into his voice as he tried to move his chin away so he could look down at her. "What happened?"

"You were gone," she whispered as her fingers dug painfully into his back muscles. Her head stayed pressed against his neck no matter how hard he tried to pull back.

With a sigh he ceased his efforts. "I was not – I was right here, working. And I am in a meeting, Child."

"Sheriff?"

Godric cast a glance at the member of the authority who – like the other parties of the meeting – had been following the interruption with varying degrees of interest. "My apologies, Madam. My Daughter is very young still." He discretely attempted to dislodge the baby vampire's fingers from his back, but she only clutched him tighter.

"You procreated?" The clear surprise was not unexpected – in previous meetings about the subject of procreation rates, Godric had made his opinion on being a maker again quite clear, and as far as the Authority knew, Eric was his only Child.

"I did." He gave up trying to extricate himself and sat back down in front of the screen to continue with the very serious meeting, letting Irin get comfortable in his lap.

"She's certainly a loyal little thing."

Godric had to restrain himself from gritting his teeth at the interest in Russell Edington's voice; was there something he didn't want it was the 3000 year old, vicious king of Mississippi's attention on his charge.

Irin, sensing the tension in his body, finally lifted her head to glare at the screen, her upper lip curling up ever so slightly as the beginning of a low growl formed at the back of her throat.

Russell's face lit up in amusement.

"Irin!" He grabbed her firmly by the chin, catching her eyes with his. "_One_ sound out of you and you are banished from the office. This is an important meeting. Be quiet." It was a low whisper, but the intent was crystal clear. Her eyes went round before she quickly hid her head against his chest again, going limp in surrender.

"Ladies, gentlemen, I apologise for the interruption. As I said, my progeny is very young. Shall we continue?"

There was a moment's pause, and then – thankfully – the Russian woman continued where she had let up.

* * *

When the meeting was finally over, Irin still hadn't moved a single muscle out of fear that Godric would banish her from his presence.

He let her stay in his lap while he typed out a couple of quick emails and saved his notes from the meeting before he tapped her shoulder.

She looked up, searching his face worriedly.

"I am old enough that I wake up before sunset," he said calmly, and relief filled her when she realised that he did not seem angry with her. "And therefore you will wake alone most nights. However, I will always be in the nest and you are welcome to join me, but if I am in a meeting you will need to be quiet and not disturb me. Is that clear?"

The girl quickly nodded – as long as he would allow her to be by his side she would not complain; he was the only light she had in a world of horrible darkness, and she instinctually knew that if she clung to him she would somehow make it out of the nightmare. But if he went away... A small shudder went through her body at the thought. If he went away she would be lost, of that she was certain.

"Are you hungry?"

The hollowness in her stomach and veins pulled sharply at the mere mention of hunger. "Yes." She gave him a hopeful look. "Is there any more of the blood you brought yesterday?"

His sculptured lips pinched, but there was a note of amusement shining through the exasperated look on his face. "You will have TruBlood to sate your hunger, kitten."

Irin sagged against him in disappointment. While she didn't feel like gagging when she drank it anymore, it certainly didn't fill her senses with pleasure to ingest like human blood did.

"And then I will teach you how to feed from a human without harming them," he continued, a bit of reluctance slipping into his tone, but Irin ignored it completely as she bolted upright, hands grabbing the front of his shirt excitedly.

"Really? Today? I can feed on a human _today?"_ While she had felt bad after having killed the humans she had, the overwhelming pleasure from feeding off a living, breathing person had overshadowed anything she had ever experienced in her short, human life. Just the thought of doing it again had the wild, uncontrollable thing inside of her roaring in exhilaration.

Godric eased the fabric of his clothes out of her hands and gently shoved her off his lap so he could get up. "Yes, I shall arrange for a donor to come to the nest a_fter_ you have had TruBlood. It will be easier for you to control yourself if you are not too hungry."

If she had to drink ten bottles of cold TruBlood she would happily do so in order to feel the quick drum of a pulse against her lips and taste the sweet, satisfying flavour of real blood on her tongue. She stretched up to plant a quick peck on the older vampire's cheek, smiling widely at his apprehensive expression as she did so.

Real blood from a real human! She was finally going to _feed!_

* * *

xXx

* * *

**A/N:**

_First, brief insight into Irin's POV! More will follow throughout the story._

_Poor Godric, having to teach the baby vampire to bite a human – guy's just too evolved for that primitive stuff! I kind of see him as a vegan vampire in this._


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

* * *

xXx

* * *

**9**

TruBlood wasn't _that_ bad after a minute in the microwave, as it turned out. The warm flow of the synthetic blood into her mouth was more like the real thing, though the flavour was still lacking. And of course, there was no pulse, no smell of fear, no adrenaline in the blood.

Irin practically bounced with excitement as she hurried to gulp down the three bottles of LifeFlow her guardian insisted she finish before he would let her near the human he'd promised to bring her. His company had come at the very steep price of absolutely no hunting, and while she didn't _want_ to hurt humans, the instincts in her new body screamed so loudly at her to hunt, drain and kill that it was almost painful not to give in.

"Isabel has bought you new clothes and placed them in my closet."

She turned her eyes to Godric's pale face without removing the last bottle from her lips, to let him know that she was listening. He demanded respect – she hadn't forgotten his strong hand on her neck nor his firm gaze when he had stopped her from growling at that man on the screen that made him tense up. His fangs in her flesh after she'd bitten him in frustration were also in fresh recollection.

He looked about her age, maybe even a year or two younger, but she wasn't fooled by his appearance – any vampire would be able to sense the power and authority rolling off him, and even without looking into his old-soul, blue eyes she knew he was ancient. As a human she would have been attracted to his good looks, but as the broken thing she had turned into it was those calm, wise eyes that had pulled her in when she saw him in the park for the first time; he radiated serenity. A pang of the wild hope she'd felt when she saw him sitting on that bench without attacking her shot through her, and she quickly put down the now-empty bottle on the kitchen counter and spun around so she could fling herself into his arms and place a grateful, red kiss on his chin.

Godric's one, dark eyebrow shot up as she nuzzled her head into his chest. "It is just clothes, kitten. You can pick out your own when you have enough control to be among humans."

"Mmhm," she hummed, frowning when he gently but easily pried her arms off him and pushed her one, small step back.

"Your donor is here," he explained at her sulky face. "And after, I wish to talk to you about your turning and the teleportation powers you seem to possess."

Irin had stopped paying attention after 'your donor is here', and he had to grab her by the back of the T-shirt to keep her from running off in pursuit of the human.

"Stay calm, Child," he sighed when she shot him a dirty glare. "And remember; if you harm this person you will not taste human blood for a very, very long time. Have I made myself clear?"

The firm gaze from those blue eyes made her stop fighting against his grip and lower her own to the floor. "Yes, master."

He winced almost unnoticeably. "Godric. Call me Godric. Or maker or Father, if you will, but never master."

She blinked in surprise; her actual maker had taken great pleasure in forcing her to call him master in their short and unpleasant time together. She had just assumed that this was a maker's true title.

"Godric," she humoured him, grabbing his hand – she just felt better, safer, when she could touch him. "Can we go see the human now? Please?" There was a living, breathing human in the house – for _her_ – and if she didn't get to taste it soon she felt like she would implode with excitement.

"I suppose there's no point in postponing it," he muttered, taking the lead to the reception room where a young man sat calmly waiting.

He was absolutely beautiful. He had shoulder length, slightly tousled brown hair, golden-brown eyes and exotically handsome features including sensitive lips and full brows. His neck was long and strong, and she felt her mouth water at the sight of the taut tendons.

His face lit up in amusement just as Godric sighed softly next to her, and she realised that she had been whining with anticipation. If she had had a human's blood flow she would have blushed.

"My Daughter is very young," the older vampire explained dryly. "I expect that the agency has explained the services we will be needing this evening?"

The young man nodded, brown eyes moving from her to Godric as he stood up. "Yes, sir. My brief says training of a younger, female vampire, non-specific number of bites but only above waist level. No intercourse. Before we begin I need to ensure that you are aware of the company policy that full payment must be made straight after the session, and that any and all marks must be completely healed."

Godric's only reply was a single nod before he let Irin – still with her hand clasped firmly in his – down it the hallway, leaving the human to follow. He finally stopped inside a small bedroom, closing the door behind them.

The human sat down on the bed as if he felt very at home and started loosening his shirt, revealing more smooth, tanned skin and hard muscle.

Another whimper escaped Irin's lips; she really, _really_ wanted to sink her fangs into that deliciously-scented body, though the hunger that had driven her when she had lived wild was nowhere near as insatiable now. But he looked so _tasty!_

"Irin."

Godric's commanding tone made her tear her eyes from the man's inviting skin and to her guardian's deepblue eyes.

"I want you to remember that he is a person, even as his blood touches your tongue. He has a family, a life, a soul. He is letting you feed from his lifeblood, from the same essence that you were created from when you were human; he deserves your outmost respect."

She furrowed her brows at him; this was not exactly what she wanted to hear when her instincts were craving that she sate her hunger – who wanted to think of their meal as having feelings and a _family?!_

"Kitten." He grabbed her chin. "Can you do this?"

The redhead pouted at him for good measures, but there was no way she'd let him take the human away when he was this close. "Yes, Godric."

The man on the bed chuckled softly at her, and she shot him a curious glance – a non-terrified human was a completely new experience for her. No, there was not even a hint of apprehension on his face, and the steady beat of his heart showed no sign of fear.

"Tell her your name," the older vampire instructed the human as he released her chin.

"My name is Alexander, miss," he obeyed easily.

Irin's gaze ripped from her new maker's face to Alexander the second her face was free of his grasp, her entire body still so she wouldn't pounce on him and have Godric intervene. The vein in his neck throbbed invitingly.

"Keep your eyes on his, kitten. Remember, he's a person."

A small, involuntary growl was released from her throat as she forced her gaze from his neck. There was an amused sparkle in the warm, golden-brown eyes that met her; her _prey_ thought she was _amusing_.

"Is this _funny_ to you?" she asked, incredulous.

"You are not the first baby vamp I've met," he said, a full smile slipping onto his face. "It is quite cute to see you struggle to keep your eyes off my neck."

How _rude!_ "I could rip your throat out!" she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Your daddy wouldn't let you," he teased gently.

She blanched at the mention of Godric, quickly shifting her gaze to him to ensure he wasn't going to punish her by taking away Alexander for threatening him.

The dark-haired vampire was leaning up against the wall, his arms folded over his chest as he watched her. "He's right," he simply stated. "No harm will come to a human under my roof."

Well, then. She turned her attention back to Alexander, glaring at him before her eyes slipped back to his gorgeous neck.

"Eyes, kitten," Godric's voice chided.

Oh, this was just so frustrating!

She forced herself to stare into Alexander's eyes as she slowly moved over to the bed, inhaling his intoxicating scent. Her fangs popped out and she groaned in relief – her gums had been aching since she first saw him.

"You will need to sit on his lap to best reach," her mentor instructed.

Alexander leaned back a little, resting his weight on his hands to give her more room.

It took all her willpower to keep looking at his face as she climbed up on his lap and the heat from his blood pressed against her thighs. Of their own accord her arms came up to wrap around the back of his neck, and a happy purr rumbled through her chest as she sniffed in. _Ooh_, he was delicious, teasing personality or not!

"You will need to stop as soon as his heartbeat starts to slow." Godric had appeared next to them, kneeling behind the human and brushing his long hair to the side.

Her eyes immediately zoned in to where the vampire's finger graced that sweet vein her fangs yearned to dig into.

"And be gentle – remember; he is showing you a great honour in sharing his blood with you. So what do you need to think about while you drink?"

Irin simply did not possess the type of self-control it would have taken to look away from the hypnotic stroking of pale fingers against tan skin and that throbbing vein, but she knew she would have to answer before he'd let her bite. "Alexander – honour – slowing heartbeat," she managed with a soft moan, leaning in closer to the warm body and clutching her fingers in his long hair.

Godric sighed. "Good girl. Now, give his skin a lick before you bite – it will make it less painful." He removed his hands, and she instantly placed her mouth over the vein, licking the clean skin. He tasted like musk and life, and she found that she enjoyed it and the way his breath hitched when she repeated it a bit slower before carefully placing her fangs against the drum of his pulse and piercing through.

Alexander groaned once, but his body remained relaxed, which was completely different to when she'd had a human before – they'd all struggled wildly. Irin found that she enjoyed his willing surrender, and moaned at the flavour of his blood – the bitter tang of fear was not present, and the fact that he wasn't struggling let her enjoy the full range of sensations feeding brought. She felt warm, _alive_, in tune with this man as he gave her his lifeblood.

Her arms wrapped around his body as she pulled herself closer, rubbing up against him as her lips sucked against his neck, gently to not hurt him but still deeply. _This_ was the best feeling in the universe; this symbiosis, this human. Irin heard his soft moans of pleasure echo her own and she pressed in closer, wishing to be fully one with him as she took his blood into her.

But all too soon the strong heartbeat that had been drumming comfortingly against her chest started to slow. Too s_oon_, she needed more of him…

"Kitten," Godric's gentle voice reminded her.

If she hurt him she would not get to do this again.

With some unknown inner strength she pulled away from his neck, bracing herself on his shoulder.

"Always lick the wounds clean."

She obliged, sighing longingly as his blood once again touched her tongue before she managed to move her mouth from him and look up at his face to thank him – because it seemed like something Godric would want her to do.

His golden-brown eyes were hooded and something about the way he looked at her made the hunger inside of her stir in a new way. She blinked, puzzled over how his blood heated up her body, sending tingling sensations through her limbs.

It wasn't before she realised that something hard nudged at her where she was straddling him that she remembered what kind of hunger _that_ was.

Black fear slammed shut over her mind as the memory of the pain and terror washed over her.

He _dared_! She _would_ rip out his throat before she would let anyone hurt her like that again!

Her furious growl vibrated through the room as she swiftly and easily pushed him down on the bed to strike.

"Irin, _no!"_

* * *

xXx

* * *

**A/N:**

_I'm sorry about the long break in updating this fic – I'm trying to get 'I See You' finished before I start grad school later this month so I can focus on this fic only next to my studies._


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

**A/N**

_I'm uncertain if it's needed but will nevertheless throw in a __**trigger-warning**__ just in case: This chapter briefly touches on physical abuse and rape._

* * *

xXx

* * *

**10**

The way the baby vampire had handled herself, pulling back from the human with just a gentle reminder had made Godric feel rather proud of her. It took a lot of willpower for someone so young, and he had somewhat expected to have to physically remove her after seeing how… obviously she had enjoyed herself.

It had been fairly good showing of the human to keep as still as he did while Irin fed, and it really shouldn't have come as a shock to the young female that his body had responded to her administrations.

But clearly, it had.

Godric was by the bed, a hand clamped around the back of her neck just before she struck at the startled human underneath her, pulling her back from the attempt at ripping out his jugular.

Snarling, she struggled against him with all the ferociousness of a trapped, feral beast, but he simply held her out at arm's length and away from the bed, looking down at the human whose eyes had widened in shock over the transformation of the cute little thing he'd just had in his lap.

"I believe it would be best if you wait in the foyer," the vampire stated calmly. "Irin will need a moment to calm down before she heals you."

"What did I do?" Alexander breathed, staring at the wild girl for a moment longer before he started buttoning his shirt.

"Nothing."

The young man frowned, finishing up and getting to his feet, careful to keep out of the baby vampire's reach. "But she seemed fine during the transaction? If there is something I did to startle her… baby vampires are my specialty, sir. If there is anything I can do…"

Godric sighed softly. The guy seemed genuinely concerned that he had upset the creature currently struggling wildly to get free so she could kill him, which might make him a kind person, but it said nothing good for his chances of making it past his 30th birthday. "You have chosen a high-risk profession, young one. New vampires are notoriously unstable, and Irin simply reacted… poorly to your sexual interests."

Alexander blinked, and a small part of Godric hoped he was reconsidering his career choice. But then the brown eyes turned soft as he looked at her again. "Oh, you poor girl."

A furious hiss was all the reply he got, and Godric had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the empathy radiating from him; it took a special kind of Samaritan to pity the person who'd just tried to kill you.

"If possible, I would like to speak to her again before I leave," he said before nodding at the elder vampire and exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

Godric refocused on his charge. "Calm yourself."

She growled in response, trying to twist around in his grip, undoubtedly in an attempt at clawing at his eyes or something equally painful; there was no glimmer of humanity left at that moment, just wild, primal fury at being trapped.

The dark-haired vampire sighed, shaking her a little, which only caused her growling to pitch and drop with the movements. "No one tried to harm you, kitten. I know you were startled and I don't want to have to _make_ you submit; _Please_, calm down."

As he already knew they would, his words fell on deaf ears. By the stars, he was too old for this! Too old and too aware of the painful switch that had flicked in the girl's mind. Nothing short of physically forcing her into submission would snap her back, but placing his fangs in her throat in the ultimate display of his dominance when she was in this state, like his maker had done to him, would only remind her of the one who had caused her such trauma. And that wasn't something he wished to do. Ever.

"Please," he repeated, before opening his fingers from the vice-like grip and letting the girl go as he gathered his power around him, preparing to rebuke her inevitable attack as gently as possible.

She swirled around to face him with an angry flash of fangs, but as she caught sight of his powerful aura she shrunk back, eyes wide, until she was pressed against the wall where she sunk down in a crouch with her slim arms around herself. The growling never ceased, but turned softer as if she knew it would not warn him off, but she also couldn't fight it back.

"Irin."

She curled up on herself, turning her face away from him so she was as small a target for him as possible.

* * *

She knew she'd broken his rules by attacking the human, and she knew she was going to get punished. Flashes of the many ways the vampire who had turned her had punished her kept shooting through her brain as she huddled up and waited for her new master to hurt her for her disobedience.

"Irin, I will _never_ harm you. This I swear to you," his soft voice sounded from the other side of the room. There was sadness in it, she realised with surprise.

"And furthermore, no one will be allowed to lay a finger on you in my house. You are safe here, with me." He moved slowly towards her, she could hear from the soft brushing of his clothes, until he was right next to her, sinking down in a crouch.

But he just sat there, without making a move to touch her in any way, and as time passed she managed to calm down enough to take in his words.

This was her saviour, the light in her darkened world.

Slowly, she peered up at him, finding sorrow and pity in his ancient eyes but neither anger nor malice. He was safe.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, unfolding a little as she bathed in his serene aura – like a flower to the sun. She needed his calmness and protection as much as plants needed the light.

"I know," he replied softly. "You did well, Irin."

Violet eyes blinked at him in surprise. Was he testing her? "I disobeyed you, ma… ker. I know you must punish me." She didn't quite manage to keep the quiver out of her voice, but she could submit to him; she needed him too much not to.

Godric's eyes travelled over her face, and she realised that fat tears of blood were sliding down her cheeks, but she tilted her chin up, calming her mind. He'd promised not to hurt her. Had _promised._

"You fed without harming the human, stopped when you needed to and managed to calm yourself down without me having to force you into submission. I am proud of you, little kitten," his soothing voice assured her. "I can…"

Irin launched herself into his arms, curling up on his thighs that offered a suitable seat in his crouched position while burying her head in his shoulder. Safe, safe, _safe!_ If she could have somehow melted into his embrace she would have, but she sated her need by digging her fingers into his back muscles and pressing her chest into his, rubbing bloody streaks from her eyes all over his shirt.

Stone arms closed gently around her back, shielding her completely from the darkness.

"You need to understand that what happened before was not Alexander's fault."

The redhead stiffened, pressing back the memory. She did not wish to think about _that_ against her, or the so very repulsive feelings it had stirred in her before those black memories came crashing. She especially didn't want to think about those.

"When you feed from a human," he continued, voice gaining a sliver of steel to ensure she paid attention, "and that human is willing or Glamoured, it can be very stimulating to them. _You_ caused his desire, Irin. _You_ were in control."

"It is disgusting!" she hissed against his shoulder, clutching harder at his back.

"No human can force you." Godric's voice was soft but steady. "No human can humiliate you or harm you in that way. Every bit of lust a man will ever have for you is yours to control. There is nothing disgusting about primal urges – and especially not your own. They are a basic part of you."

She shook her head, not wanting to listen to him; all she wanted was to not think about the horrors so she could escape the fear, and what he was saying was forcing her to concentrate on subjects too raw to even consider. "Please," she whispered, hoping he would understand and relent.

He sighed, grabbing her gently by the chin and tipping her blotchy face up so he could look in her eyes. "We will have to talk about him one day, Child. But for now, I will not press the matter."

Irin pressed a grateful kiss to his fingers when he loosened his grip, resting her cheek back against his chest as she let his radiating tranquillity envelop her mind in a soothing touch.

The ancient vampire allowed her to rest against him for a little while longer before he straightened up so he could place her on her feet – but she still clung to him like a stubborn burdock, fingers twisting at the back of his shirt to keep close to him.

"You will need to apologise to the human. And heal him," he informed her as he wiped at the drying blood on her face with a thumb. "But perhaps you should clean up first so you do not risk startling him."

She frowned, looking up at her mentor. "I can heal humans?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

**A/N:**

_Just a few chapters to go on my main fic and then this story will be my priority until it is eventually finished, promise! Thank y'all for being patient and sweet about it._

* * *

xXx

* * *

**11**

They were both in need of a change of clothes after Irin's crying so Godric led her back to his bedroom, pointing at the bathroom for her to go wash her face while he slipped out of the soft shirt she'd streaked with her tears, wandering into the big walk-in closet that Isabel had brutally stripped of half his favourite style of white linen shirts and pants, filling it with a colourful selection of female clothes. At least twenty pairs of shoes and boots were lined up on what was clearly now the baby vampire's side, colour-coordinated and with varying types of heels.

Godric shook his head, aware that the _need_ (as Isabel had called it) females had for more than maybe four pairs of shoes went above his head, especially seeing as his little stray had lived barefoot for quite a few months.

But the tall, black-haired woman had just rolled her eyes at him when he foolishly commented on the bill she'd presented him with after taking his credit card to do an_ 'emergency online shopping-spree' _for his new Daughter the night before, making it very clear that he was to leave such matters with her as he clearly had no clue. A few – rather uncalled for - insults about his own wardrobe had also been delivered, but after two thousand years of subjecting himself to ridicules fashion trends he was now happy to just wear whatever was comfortable and had let her comments roll off his back without further thought.

The gentle brush of naked feet against the plush carpet made him turn around to see Irin stand at the entrance to the closet, looking at him with an odd mix of curiosity and shyness. From the way her eyes darted from his biceps to his collarbones and back again he could decipher what had caught her interest.

"They are the marks of my tribe from before I was turned," he explained.

She slid a little closer at his acknowledgement of her attention. "Where are you from?" Her brows furrowed, trying to work out the meaning of them that a scholar would probably struggle to produce without help.

"Gaul, on the northern coastline of what is now France."

"I have never heard of that place," she admitted. "What does the serpent on your back mean?" Curiosity was clearly winning out over her shyness of seeing him half undressed, which spoke volumes of her trust in him.

He smiled as a few of his earliest memories from his long life came back to him – it was rare that he thought about his time as a human, and rarer still about the time before the Romans took him. "Gaul is long-since gone so it is not surprising that you have not heard of it, kitten. The water serpent was a sign of the spiritual path for my people. I was training to become what would translate as shaman for my tribe."

"Oh." Her face fell. "I was going to be a biologist. I'd just started college when..."

However sad the thought of what was now lost was to her, it was the first she had mentioned of her human life and Godric was surprised – and pleased – by this unexpected connection to her humanity.

"You will have time to take up as much studying as you wish," he promised. "You have an eternity of knowledge ahead of you."

A small smile spread on her pink lips at his words, her attention drawn away from the sudden onset of melancholy. "And the red mark? Is that also tribal?"

His brand.

The dark-haired vampire sighed. "That is a story for another time, kitten. Alexander is waiting for you – pick out some clean clothes and get changed. I will wait for you outside the bedroom door." He gestured towards the side of the closet filled with colourful garments before grabbing one of the surviving linen shirts from a hanger, easily pulling it over his head and pushing up the sleeves to elbow height.

"But…" Irin's eyes had turned to the clothes, her brows furrowed. "This is all for me?"

"Yes. I am afraid I don't know exactly what is there, but Isabel assured me that everything was taken care of." He had a moment's worth of trying to imagine the feral girl in a pair of high heels and a pretty dress and failed, but his second in command had clearly had a different vision than he when she shopped.

"But there is so much."

A glance at the girl's bewildered face made him _woosh_ out of the room before she thought to ask him anything that would require him to have an opinion. Having once before sired a young female had left him with an uncanny ability to know when it was time to make himself scarce, and giving advice on clothes was just not a part of the maker-obligations.

* * *

Godric was known for his patience. He was, however, tapping a pale finger against his thigh while thinking about all the urgent Sheriff business he was currently not attending to as he waited half an hour for his young progeny to appear from the bedroom. She was wearing a pale, yellow dress and seemed to have ignored the vast assortment of shoes available to her, naked feet lightly stepping on the smooth parquet as she finally exited the room.

He had absolutely no idea how it could have taken her thirty minutes to get into a rather simple dress, but stopped himself from asking after one quick scan of her face – she looked like picking out a garment to wear had been the final straw for her for the night, a stressed and anxious expression etched onto her features.

Wordlessly, he held out his hand and she instantly clasped on to it as if it was a lifeline, letting him lead her back to the foyer where Alexander was calmly waiting. He looked up from the magazine he'd been reading while waiting, instantly focussing on the redheaded female with a soft expression, and Godric's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as it occurred to him that the young man was possibly sprouting the beginning of a very impractical white-knight complex towards the girl.

Teaching her how to control the urge to kill was something he saw as his natural responsibility as a maker - chaperoning her dates with a misguided human so she didn't accidently rip out his throat in a fit of rage… not so much. Which meant that this young man would not be visiting the nest again anytime soon, though his gentle ways could surely have been of benefit to the feral vampire, had there not been a hint of romantic interest in his golden-brown eyes.

"I apologise for keeping you waiting for so long," Godric offered, looking to his adopted Child. "Irin, I believe there is something you would like to say?"

Her face twisted and she gripped his hand tighter, but she managed to whisper: "I'm sorry," before her gaze fell on her naked feet.

"That is quite alright. Thank you." Alexander smiled encouragingly at her, but she didn't look up at his face. "I am sorry I scared you."

She pulled a face, clearly not wanting to discuss the incident or acknowledge that he had, indeed, frightened her severely.

Godric tugged on her hand to get her attention. "Good. Now, you need to heal the marks you left on his neck. A drop of your blood smoothed over the wounds will do that."

Irin blinked at him. "Really?" Surprise was evident on her face and in her voice. "But then… why don't more vampires do that? Help at hospitals and such?"

It was another, quite adorable, flashback to her humanity, really, but the ancient vampire found himself exchanging slightly uncomfortable looks with the blood donor in the room; confirmation of the rumoured healing properties of vampire blood was for obvious reasons quite strictly guarded knowledge, and the only reason Alexander's – very high-price – agency had healing of marks in their terms and conditions was that it was run by vampires and that every single donor was Glamoured not to share this information with any other human.

"We will talk about this later, Irin," Godric promised, not wishing to go further into vampire matters in front of a human, however liberal his career choice. "Go ahead, extend your fangs and pierce your index finger – it will only take one or two drops."

The young woman reluctantly let go of his hand to go sit on the sofa next to the man she'd fed on, careful not to brush up against him in any way. She stared at her finger for a little while and then looked at her maker with such a perplexed expression that Godric struggled to hold back a chuckle – she had no idea how to drop her fangs on purpose, undoubtedly having had them appear on their own accord when she was hungry or upset in the past. Her discomfort over the situation and the recent feeding seemed to keep them retracted.

"Look at his neck," he encouraged, managing to hide his amusement over her fang mishap. He fondly remembered mocking Eric mercilessly when his had dropped because he was startled and he couldn't get them to retract, which had ended in quite the hissy fit; baby vampires were temperamental creatures.

She obeyed, eyes immediately zeroing in on the scabbed-over puncture wounds. A few seconds later her fangs popped out.

"_Heal_ him, kitten. You have fed already," he reminded her sternly when her attention was obviously drifting to the pulsing blood underneath the human's skin rather than her task at hand.

She sighed, which made said human smile though he kept still to not disturb the lesson, quickly pricked her finger and rubbed it against his neck. When the wounds immediately closed over she smiled involuntarily.

"Cool, huh?" Alexander commented, turning his head to look at her.

"Yeah," The moment's thrill of discovering a new ability had the redhead returning his gaze for a short moment until she seemed to remember what had happened earlier. She quickly dropped her eyes, forehead scrunching up, which only caused the human's expression to soften further.

"You know," he said in a gentle voice. "I could help you learn not to be afraid."

Godric was not exactly pleased with the young man's unsolicited offer, but before he could voice anything on the matter Irin had left the sofa, zipping to his side and clutching on to the back of his linen shirt, an expression on her delicate features as if he'd suggested to screw her then and there.

Alexander opened his mouth to soothe her, but the dark-haired vampire thought it best to intervene before a repeat of the evening's earlier events occurred.

"Your services have been invaluable this evening, and I appreciate your professional handling of my progeny." Godric reached for the envelope containing the agreed-upon payment and then added $1000 extra, offering it to the young man. Getting attacked by your client required a bit of a bonus in this business. "We will be in contact with your agency again at a later date."

The brunette got to his feet, accepting the envelope, and nodded respectfully at the older vampire. "Thank you, sir. Goodbye, Irin. I do hope to see you again."

She refused to look at him, but he didn't seem too discouraged as he left the nest, sending her a little wink as the door closed after him.

There was something to be said about the customary prey-and-predator relationship, Godric had to admit, as his charge slipped into his arms, pushing her nose against his throat in search for comfort after the rather eventful evening.

He rested both arms around her back and thought about how he had encouraged her to accept her primal urges as a basic part of herself. And he thought about how he had shied away from his own, basic instincts in the recent decades, ashamed of what he'd done, of what he was.

Perhaps it was time to reconsider his methods of penance, so he didn't end up twisting the little one's perception of her new life by letting his guilt taint the lessons he provided her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

**A/N:**

_A well-deserved shout-out to ZizzyO's brilliant mind for cooking up the concept of Zompires well before the season 6 finale._

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xXx

* * *

**12**

"Sheriff, the King wishes to be briefed about the afternoon's meeting."

Godric lifted his chin from strawberry blonde locks at the sound of his second in command's voice, pulling his mind from thoughts of how to teach the little one how to hunt, a skill she _would_ need in her eternal life, without harming humans in the process. He did not wish for her to feed on the unwilling, but she did deserve the best possible chances of survival, which included learning how to hunt efficiently, should willing donors or TruBlood not be available to her at some point in the future.

"Is he on the line now?"

The black haired woman nodded, a smile playing on her lips as one, well-manicured eyebrow rose teasingly. "He is rather impatient, so I am afraid that you might have to wait with further cuddling until dawn."

The ancient vampire sighed. His King still had lingering worries over the vast age-difference between himself and his most powerful Sheriff, and while he seemed to generally have accepted that Godric had no interest in angling for his throne he was still very unhappy with the Authority trusting the elder vampire in matters they did not discuss with him.

The result had been frequent communication from the King and request for status reports, but in this particular matter Godric did agree that the monarchs should know as soon as possible so they could act accordingly.

"Very well," he said, pulling out of his stray's embrace, only to have her latch on to his arm, slender body pressing up against it in a silent plea. It seemed that asking Isabel to take the girl for a tour of the house while he dealt with his liege lord was out of the question. "Come then, kitten. The King wishes to be briefed."

She followed him, keeping her grasp on his arm while she looked at him with eyes round from surprise. "There's a King?"

"There are many – this one is the King of Texas, and we are his subjects. He governs the vampire matters of this state."

"But then what does…" She quieted when he put a finger to his lips as they entered his office.

"I will explain all to you in due time, little one," he promised, smiling at her put-out facial expression at being hushed like a child. "Right now I have work. You can roam around inside the house as you want, but please be quiet if you remain here with me."

"You work an awful lot," she commented sulkily, following him to his chair and slipping onto his lap as soon as he sat down, curling up so her back was leaned against his right arm and her bare legs pushed underneath his left.

"Yes, I do, and no one is forcing you to stay here while I do so, so I will hear no more complaints out of you for the night." He sighed at the awkward position, shifting her a little so he could reach out and press the speaker-button on the phone. "Your Majesty. I am sorry to have kept you waiting."

"_I am sure you had your reasons." _The tone of voice more than suggested that whatever said reasons were, they were not an excuse for keeping his royal highness waiting. _"But I would appreciate an update on this meeting immediately, Sheriff. Rumours are circulating and they are frankly very disturbing."_

"The rumours of a disease are true, Sir. The Americas currently have no known infected, but the Euro-Asian continent is experiencing an alarmingly quick spread. Russia and China seem to be the worst affected, but there have been noted cases as far west as Rumania." Godric paused when Irin scooted restlessly around in his lap, her bare heel digging in to his thigh as she tried to get comfortable. She stilled at his warning glare, wincing slightly.

"_And is the nature of this disease true to the rumours?"_ The King intervened in the short pause.

Godric recalled the Russian woman's account of an infected she'd seen personally and frowned. "It is worse. It seems to only affect vampires, but the human population is getting increasingly suspicious in the areas with the heaviest infection – the healthy vampire population in those locations is getting overrun and cannot keep up with the Glamouring required to keep this under wraps much longer. The disease causes volatile and erratic behaviour, with infected attacking anyone in sight. And to make matters more complicated, they seem to increase in strength after the infection has taken fully hold of them."

"_And how does it spread?"_ the King inquired, seemingly having a bit of trouble keeping his voice even at the gloomy news.

"By bite. The transfer rate so far is 100%," the Sheriff answered, but before he got to continue with the debriefing his progeny dug her fingers painfully into his chest muscles and yelped: "Zombies! _Zombies_ are real?!"

"Kitten!" he scolded, but his annoyance at her interference died at the sight of her completely petrified face. Sighing, he dislodged her fingers so she only had a hold of the fabric and wrapped his arms around her in the hopes of providing some comfort. "There is no such thing as zombies. Be calm, Child."

"Are you sure?" she inquired shrilly, fingers again finding the pressure points in his torso as she clutched at him, at the same time as the King's voice broke through: _"Sheriff, who is overhearing this _private _meeting?"_ in a rather irritable tone.

Godric took a second to give the girl a firm glance that had her quiet down before he returned his attention to the phone. "I am sorry for the interruption, Your Majesty. I have a new Daughter, and she is yet too young to be left to her own devices. She should, however, know better than to disturb. My sincerest apologies for any disrespect – it was not intended."

A moment's stunned silence.

"_You made another progeny?!"_

The ancient vampire strangled a sigh. Apparently, his choice to procreate was more interesting than the looming pandemic. "Yes."

"_When?"_

Godric glanced down at the girl in his arms, who lifted her face to meet his eyes. The wildness in her was at the forefront of her expression, brought out by her fright. She might have been a few months old now, but as far as anyone would know she came into existence the night he brought her to his nest. "She rose last night."

"_I suppose that explains why I have yet to learn of her before tonight,"_ the other vampire noted sourly. _"The timing is quite… boldly chosen, Godric."_

By 'boldly' he obviously meant 'poorly'. The Sheriff couldn't exactly fault him for his observations – protecting his area through the possible pandemic while raising a young one was not the best idea, as both would demand much of his time, but the only other option had been to let the little stray meet her True Death, and… he let his gaze lock with hers, smiling softly as he sensed her relax at the eye contact. And he did not regret his choice, even though she was proving to be quite the handful.

"She was dying, Sir. If she had not been I would not have claimed her at this time. I am aware that it is inconvenient, given the current situation."

* * *

Her Maker was lying to this King about her, and she wasn't quite sure why. But when she raised her eyebrows at him in silent question he just placed a finger over his lips to indicate that she should remain quiet – so she did. He must have had his reasons, and whatever they were she was just thankful that he claimed her as his own; she hoped that one day she could completely forget about her true Turning and remember it as if she had simply laid dying when Godric came across her and took pity on her. Waking in the depths of the Earth in his arms to an eternity of safety and warmth was infinitely more pleasant to think about than… _him._

She shuddered at the dark caress of his memory, but before fear and repulsion could overtake her strong arms cradled her closer while a comforting hand idly stroked down her hair and back, and she sighed in relief, pressing her lips to the tattooed skin showing at the top of her saviour's shirt in silent gratitude.

"_She must be very special,"_ the voice on the other end of the phone remarked in a tone Irin couldn't quite decipher. _"I shall look forward to meeting her. It is my wish that my Sheriffs convene at my estate one week from now, to formally discuss this infection and what preparations we should undertake to secure the state of Texas. Hopefully, the Authority will have sent out some guidelines for the Monarchs by then. Bring the girl and introduce her then."_

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Her guardian sounded perfectly neutral at the prospect but his body tensed underneath her, and Irin nuzzled against his chest in an attempt at repaying his calming gesture. She was rewarded as the hand on her back stroked her gently again, but his muscles didn't relax, which she found rather odd – the idea of seeing his boss couldn't possibly be worse than a herd of zombies making its way through Asia, however much a King he might be.

She didn't pay much attention as the two elder vampires ended the phone conversation, but as soon as it was over she straightened up and stared into the deceivingly young face of the man she was perched on. "Zombies?"

Godric sighed at her. "I told you, they are not. The whole myth of zombies stem from humans who were buried alive after being poisoned by Voodoo practitioners. This infection is just a disease, nothing more."

A few flashes from her human life made her shake her head at him. "You have never heard of the zombie apocalypse?"

Dark eyebrows rose. "I beg your pardon?"

The many movie nights she had had with friends, revelling in the fright caused by horror movies, seemed decades away, but she _did_ remember. "Most zombie movies assume that the world will be overrun by zombies infected with a rabies-like disease, causing near-human extinction. What you talked about just then sounded pretty much exactly like a movie-plot, except…" She blinked. "Except the infected are _humans_, not… zompires."

Godric stared down at her. "'Zompires'?"

"Half vampire, half… zombie?" Her voice died at the slight quiver of his full lips. "You think it is funny?" To her, the idea was rather terrifying.

"I think you have had a very long, very eventful night, little kitten," he said calmly, getting up from the chair and placing her on her feet. "The infection is not something you need to worry about – the Authority will have it under control soon enough."

Irin grabbed his hand as he led her back towards the bedroom. "You really should see '28 Days Later'," she muttered sulkily.

"Is that the name of one of these movies you base your zombie-expertise on?" he asked, his tone light.

The girl growled at his teasing, not appreciating not being taken seriously, but she nonetheless let him take her into the safe space for their daytime rest and rolled over so her leg and arm rested over him as soon as he laid down, her head finding its place underneath his chin.

"Godric?"

"Hm?"

"Is it normal? This sort of outbreak?"

There was a slight pause before he answered, probably while he decided how much he should disclose. "No, it is not. In my two thousand years of existence there has only been one known disease that could affect vampires, and not in this way."

She frowned. "Then… this could be very bad, couldn't it?"

His arms came up to rest around her. "You do not need to worry."

No matter his reluctance to entertain the idea of _zompires_, Irin found it rather impossible not to worry about something so petrifying. "But what if they come _here?"_

A strong hand stroked through her hair. "If they come here I will keep you safe. I will always keep you safe."

* * *

xXx

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**A/N**

_I really want someone to whip out first season of 'The walking Dead' as an instructional video session._

_So yeah, zompires. I don't remember who mentioned something along these lines in a review quite a few chapters back, but you, madam, get bonus points!_

_Nemu-Chan: Alexander may pop up at some point in the future!_

_Guest 1: Yeah, the kitten will probably show some claws if someone tries to make a move on __her __Maker. And yes, eventually it'll be an Irin/Godric romance!_

_Star gazer: Aw those lyrics are so sweet for that scene!_

_Thanks to everyone for some really awesome reviews for the last chapter – I'd have PMed y'all because they were like, extra-fantastic, but so many of you are not registered so I'm just gonna be lazy about it and give a group-hug sort of thing. *group-hugs* It's really appreciated._


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:**

_Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s)._

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xXx

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**13**

"_Godric!"_

Irin eyed the black-haired woman resentfully, not straightening from her crouch behind the large bed as a small growl escaped her throat at the betrayal. Calling Godric was such a low-blow; Isabel had put her through hell the past week, subjecting her to boring etiquette lessons for hours each night, and whenever Irin had objected Godric had shown up - and somehow she'd ended up doing as she was told.

The Sheriff appeared in the bedroom a few seconds later, his calm eyes taking in the scene. Dark eyebrows rose at the sight of his charge's defensive pose and his Second's annoyed expression. "Isabel? What is this?"

"I cannot get the girl ready for your visit with the King if she refuses to do what I ask!" She waved the black heels she'd been trying to get the redheaded baby vampire into in her general direction. "Would you _please_ tell her that she cannot go barefooted at the court?"

The ancient man seemed to take a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before he looked at his Daughter with the blank expression she'd come to know as his 'business face'. "Irin, I have asked you to follow Isabel's instructions this week. Why are you disobeying her?"

She straightened up, crossing her arms over her chest in an indignant pose. "Why do you _always_ take her side?!"

Godric blinked as if he wasn't quite sure he'd heard her right – which he of course would have, seeing as he was a vampire. "There is no side to take, kitten. Isabel is doing her best for this visit to go well for you, and she knows best what that entails of appropriate attire."

Like hell there wasn't any side to take! Irin felt her bottom lip quiver traitorously. He hadn't taken her feelings or opinions into account at any point during this 'royal visit preparation', had hardly spent any time with her apart from when he monitored her feedings (from strictly female donors), and she had just had it.

"I'm not wearing them! And you can't make me!" She stomped one, bare foot for effect and sent him a challenging glare.

The dark-haired vampire heaved a deep sigh and glanced at his second. "Does she really need to?"

Isabel looked outraged at the mere question. "Of course she does, Godric! Do you really want everyone to treat her like some uncontrollable wildling?!"

"She is just a baby, Isabel. They should understand."

Irin's jaw dropped. A _baby?!_ She had been a full adult when she died, almost twenty one years old, and he thought of her like some toddler! _"I am not a child!"_

* * *

Godric recognised the sound of a full-blown tantrum from the screeching tone, but it was the shattering sound of one of the picture frames impacting with the opposite wall that fully marked his stray reaching her breaking point.

Being dragged from his own preparations – mainly consisting of compiling vast amounts of data into report format and resolving all necessary Sheriff-responsibilities in his area to ensure it would run as smoothly as possible in his absence – to settle an argument over shoes had not exactly been the highlight of an already trying week, but seeing the girl he had claimed as his Child lose it over something so trivial had to be a new benchmark of some sort.

"Irin…" He sounded more tired than stern, even to his own ears. "I will not put up with that sort of behaviour."

"Don't be so heartless! This is all your fault."

Flabbergasted, he turned around to face the Latina woman who'd slung the – rather unexpected – accusation at him. "And how is this my fault?"

Isabel gestured at the girl, whose eyes had started to rim with red. "Can't you see this is all too much for her? Comfort the girl, rather than scold her! It is no wonder she is acting out when you expect her to take in all these new impressions in just one week - without the support of her maker."

His eyes narrowed at the affront to his maker-capabilities, but the soft sniffle from behind the bed drew his attention. Red drops were sliding down his little one's cheeks and she had wrapped her arms around herself in a protective gesture, though her bottom lip had a stubborn pout to it.

Guilt nestled heavily in the pit of his stomach; his Second was right. He'd been too preoccupied with his Sheriff's duties, thinking Irin would be fine under Isabel's caring guidance for the week, but the result had been too much pressure for her still-frail mind and… he had neglected her.

Making a quick decision he shot Isabel a dark look; she might have been right in her observations but he did not appreciate being scolded by an underling, however much he valued her opinions.

She seemed to realise she'd spoken out of turn too, shrinking back ever so slightly, but the stubborn tilt to her jaw was a clear indicator that she didn't regret her words. His Second in command was a strong-willed woman, but she was also unusually compassionate for a vampire, and he knew her care for the feral girl was the cause of her harsh words. Furthermore, she hadn't complained about babysitting even though it meant she'd hardly gotten to see her human the entire week as Irin had yet to make the consistent distinction between 'food' and 'companion'.

Godric quirked an eyebrow at her. "Very well. Then I would appreciate the reports on my desk finished up before dawn, and the final check-up on the raids of those three bars filed for me to look over in the afternoon. Please, leave me with my progeny; I do not wish to be disturbed for the rest of the night. If there are matters I absolutely must attend to before we leave tomorrow, put a note on my desk and I will do so when I rise."

Isabel nodded, placed the offending shoes that had started the whole mess on the bed, and left her Sheriff's bedroom, closing the door behind her with an ominous click that made Irin flinch and eye her maker cautiously.

Godric folded his arms over his chest and sighed. "You know I won't harm you. Come here."

She hesitated by the bed, purple eyes flickering to the ruined picture frame and the dent one of its corners had left in the wall.

"Irin." He purposely let some of his Sheriff's authority slip into his tone. "Come._ Here_."

Sulkily she obeyed, sliding from the other side of the bed to stand in front of him, head bent. It pleased him that she no longer expected the worst from him, even after a tantrum like that.

"Do you care to explain what that scene was about?"

"I am not a child." She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "And I don't like being treated as one."

He let a thumb stroke over the bloodstains on her cheek. "You are barely more than two months old."

"I'm over twenty – I'm an adult," she stubbornly insisted, and he had to strangle a smile. Even counting her human years she was hardly more than an infant, but he knew humans viewed age differently.

"Kitten, your human age does not matter – you have been a vampire for such a short amount of time, and with such a violent start, that your emotions control you completely still. You will be a child in our society for many years to come, until you learn to control your impulses and harness your power."

The girl pulled a face at him. "That's ridicules."

"Is it?" He sent the shattered glass a pointed look, and then the heels on the bed, before he returned his gaze to her face. "Would an adult act as you have this evening?"

Her full lips pinched at his gentle admonishing, but she didn't answer, her annoyed glare falling from his face in defeat.

"I know I am to blame too." He reached out and stroked a hand through her hair, the other one easily slipping around her body to pull her into an embrace; it was meant as a soothing gesture for her, but he found an odd sensation of calm wash though his own body when she settled against him. Apparently, he'd missed her too this past week. "You should not have had to go through this pressure so soon, and I do not blame you for reacting to it."

"I don't like it when I don't see you much," she muttered against his shirt. "And I don't like all the silly things Isabel made me do this week."

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "If it makes you feel any better, she has threatened me to wear uncomfortable clothes too during this visit."

She hummed an amused note, pulling her head back to look up at him. "Did she tell you that you had to behave yourself too?"

His smiled turned into a – rather unusual – cheeky grin. "No. But then again, I don't behave like a wildling, so she didn't need to."

Outrage settled on the girl's pretty features for a moment before she, quick as a snake, bent her head and nipped his arm. It didn't really hurt and she didn't pierce the skin, but she had definitely put her teeth to his flesh.

"Kitten…" he warned.

She bit him again, and then darted out of his embrace. Her eyes sparkled mischievously at him. "I am a child and a wildling – you can't expect better of me!"

Godric let out a surprised rumble of laughter at her sudden playfulness. That, of course, ruined any hope he had of reining her in with a gentle scolding for her improper behaviour.

Irin's eyes lit up at his response and she zipped to his side again, undoubtedly to bury her teeth in his skin once more, but he quickly snatched her around the waist with one arm, his free hand grabbing her jaw. "You are not nearly quick enough to get away with that, young lady!"

She pouted at him, which made the corners of his eyes crinkle in amusement. "But I am glad to see your mood has improved."

A smile spread on her face. "I am always happier when you are with me."

His own smile faltered as the guilt from before returned with an uncomfortable twinge. "Will you forgive me? For neglecting you so this week?"

His progeny's expression softened as she lifted both hands to cup his face. The genuinely adoring gaze in her unusual eyes was like a warm caress against his old soul. "You don't need forgiveness."

It was odd, really. The ancient being knew she spoke about the past week's lack of caretaking, but for some reason he could see his centuries upon centuries of shameful deeds reflected in her affectionate gaze. His hand released her jaw, fingers stroking gently along her cheek. This girl was his attempt at righting the wrongs he'd bestowed upon humanity, and he was awed at the chance he had been given with her.

"I do," he said softly.

"Okay," she complied easily, stretching up and placing her lips against his, eyelids fluttering closed at the contact.

His Irin was very affectionate, and she had pecked him before without it causing him to even pause, but never on the lips. Not that it really made a difference; her kiss was as innocent as the rest of the affections she so readily bestowed on him, and as he himself had pointed out moments before – she was a mere toddler in comparison to him.

But the soft brush of her mouth over his did not feel like the kiss of a child at all.

Godric was ripped out of his shock at the contact when their lips parted and she bounced back down on her heels, smiling widely up at him. "There, all is forgiven."

* * *

xXx

* * *

**A/N:** _I am yet undecided if I should up the rating on this fic or not, and would appreciate some input if you have a preference one way or another._

_If it gets upped to an M-rating there will be more details concerning Irin's ordeal with her original maker, and there will be some physical descriptions to the up-coming romance. However, it is *not* the intent that this turn into a smut-fic either way._

_If it sticks with the T-rating Irin's past will stay implied throughout the story, and any naughty business will be fade-to-black._

_I'm interested to know if you'd think it would add or subtract to the story as a whole to increase the rating, and also if you – due to age restrictions – would have to stop following it._

**_*EDIT* I'm afraid I won't be able to update any of my fics before - estimated - late December. Any changes to this I'll slap up on my profile. _**


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